(BLOOMINGTON) - IU Army ROTC cadets and seniors Matthew Smith and Thomas Mack were recently recognized as leaders among thousands of their peers.

The two received the Sinclair L. Melner Award at the U.S. Army Cadet Command's Leader Development and Assessment Course this summer.

"This award recognizes the top two of more than 425 cadets tested in each of 13 training regiments, placing Hoosier cadets Smith and Mack among the top 26 of approximately 6,000 students tested," Lt. Col. Michael Ogden said. "Of the 273 schools around the nation with Army ROTC, Indiana University was the only school with multiple cadets to earn this award."

Both received the award for consistently demonstrating excellence in critical thinking, mental and physical toughness, land navigation, resiliency, leadership and peer evaluations, Ogden said.

The course was at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Wash., and lasted 29 days.

IU's Army ROTC program was ranked fourth of 272 nationwide at the 2011 LDAC.